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Why do people follow social norms?
Jörg Gross1, Alexander Vostroknutov2
1Social, Economic and Organizational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|September 14, 2021
Summary
People follow social norms even in private due to internalization, social image concerns, and social learning. This research explores why individuals adhere to societal rules, even without external enforcement.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Sociology
Background:
- Norms guide social decision-making and cooperation.
- Adhering to norms often involves personal sacrifice or suppressing self-interest.
- Understanding norm adherence is key to social coordination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review theories explaining norm adherence, especially in private settings.
- To investigate the psychological and social drivers of following norms.
- To introduce methods for measuring individual norm adherence.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of theories on norm internalization, social/self-image, and social learning.
- Presentation of two novel behavioral, incentivized tasks.
- Measurement of individual propensity to follow norms.
Main Results:
- Norm adherence can be explained by internalized values, concern for social reputation, and learning from others' behavior.
- The presented tasks effectively elicit norms and quantify individual adherence.
- People follow norms even when undetected and unsanctioned.
Conclusions:
- Norms are followed due to a combination of internal and external factors.
- Understanding these drivers is crucial for social cohesion and collective action.
- The developed tasks offer a valuable tool for future research on norm psychology.
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